The first sighting of the green and gold-breasted warbler is like the first sign of spring in Edmonton.

Mike Reilly is not a training-camp-to-end-of-schedule guy. He licked his wounds at his parents’ place in Montana, stayed with his girlfriend in New York and took a holiday in Ireland.

But now he’s back and the first order of business is to try determine if he thinks he’s going to be sacked and hit as many times as he was last year, and/or is optimistic enough for dramatic improvement over last year’s 4-14 season for Eskimos fans to perhaps share some optimism.

“I am definitely convinced of that,” he said of not repeating last year’s first one-win season at home in 64 years of history while equaling the only 14-loss season in history back in 1963 .